The American Red Cross is proud to support this fun, free community event. We will have 65 volunteers working at this years event and in return the Packers give a donation to your local American Red Cross. Thank you to all of our volunteers and the Packers for their support.

Lambeau Field is getting ready for this weekend’s Halloween-themed events Spooktacular Fun and the Haunted Concourse.

Spooktacular Fun, free to the public, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30, in the Lambeau Field Atrium. Accessed through the Miller Lite Gate on the north end of Lambeau Field, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Haunted Concourse this year again is open for two days of thrills and has an admission price of $2, with all proceeds to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin. The Haunted Concourse is accessed through the Oneida Nation Gate on Lambeau Field’s east side. It is open Friday, Oct. 29, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; and again from 9 to 11 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 30, hours are 10 a.m. to noon, 1 to 4 p.m., 6:30 to 8:30 p.m and 9 to 11 p.m. Lines may be cut off prior to the end times to ensure no unnecessary waits.

The Haunted Concourse, designed for teens with a PG-13 rating, will be set in a darkened Lambeau Field concourse and feature scenes of high-tech shocks and horrors. Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a guardian into the Haunted Concourse, and children under the age of 8 will not be permitted.

Spooktacular Fun will feature interactive and entertaining musicians and magicians, as well as the popular stilt walkers. Children also will have the opportunity to participate in face painting and other Halloween-themed arts and crafts. A professional pumpkin carver returns to delight families.

‘Spooktacular Fun’ is one in a series of community events held each year by the Packers. Other events include an ecumenical Thanksgiving Day meal for area needy families, ‘Project LEAP’ and the Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer.

WFRV News Story Created: Oct 27, 2010 at 9:44 PM CDT

The Village of Suring once again has power after 30 hours without heat or electricity.

Some homes are still without power, but those are generally on the far outskirts of town. WPS restored power to most cities and towns, and is now headed to remote areas.

“I was so happy to get back and the house was nice and warm,” said 90-year-old Mildred Genskow. “I was almost frozen and then one of my neighbors came and was like, you’re coming to my house,” she said.

For those few still in the cold, the Red Cross set up a shelter at the Woodland Village Nursing Home.

As of 8:00 p.m. no visitors had come to stay at the shelter. A shelter is also available at the Wabeno Fire Department.

The American Red Cross Lakeland Chapter is proud to be apart of this amazing homecoming in providing food, beverages, games for the children and comfort for the many famlies waiting for their loved ones to return home. Thank you to all the Red Cross volunteers for your support at this event.

ASHWAUBENON – Strong winds delayed homecoming plans for some northeast Wisconsin Marines, but all who were expected arrived safely at the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Ashwaubenon by 9 o’clock Wednesday evening.

No matter what the situation, people generally don’t like to wait.

“I’m antsy, having trouble breathing,” Kathy Willes said as she waited for her daughter.

Lance Cpl. Ashley Willes, 21, left with her Marine Reserve Unit in January, and spent about seven months in Afghanistan.

Smiles were on many faces, mixed with tears, as the Marine Reservists received a warm welcome home.

“Overwhelmed, just so glad to have her home,” Kathy said after giving her daughter a long hug.

“Just pure joy right now. Very overwhelmed with everything,” Lance Cpl. Willes, of Little Chute, said after greeting all her family members.

Willes is back from her first deployment, and looking forward to spending time with her family.

“Was a little rough. Some days seemed pretty long. But overall it went by pretty fast, but we’re all glad to be home,” said Willes.

“It’s great. It’s great. It was a long journey home. It took us about 2 weeks to get from where we were to here we are now,” said Staff Sgt. Dennis VanHemelryk of Suamico.

Here and now the waiting is over for these Marines and their families, and many of them wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Very proud, always,” Kathy Willes said of her daughter.

A total of 45 Marines were deployed. Many of them will be on orders through the end of the year.

Editorial note: The on-site shelter contact at the Florence Community Center is Chuck Lantz and he can be reached at 920-642-0246.

Oshkosh, WI., October 27, 2010 – As unprecedented winds knock out power to several communities, the local American Red Cross Chapters are responding to incidents throughout the region. This includes the opening of a place to gather, warm-up, eat and sleep.

The Florence Community Center (Town Hall Building) at 749 Central Avenue in Florence, WI is opening as an overnight shelter. Late this afternoon, the Red Cross was notified of the need by local officials and began activating training disaster action team members to respond. With power currently out in the areas of Fence and Goodman and not expected to be restored until Thursday evening, volunteers and staff alike activated teams to provide emergency needs.

In Suring, Wisconsin the Woodland Village Nursing Home at 430 Manor Drive, is providing a safe, warm and comfortable shelter for those who have lost power. Three Lakeland Chapter volunteers are on their way to provide emergency needs.

All disaster assistance is free as a gift to the American people from the American people. You can help by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. Visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter at 515 S. Washburn Street, Suite 201, Oshkosh, WI 54904 or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

That’s why I’m so happy to announce our new 2010 Holiday Giving Catalog. It’s a wonderful way to make the season more meaningful while helping others in need.

Every gift is a unique way to honor the friends and loved ones on your holiday list by making a gift in their name.

Whether you choose to provide emergency family kits to disaster victims, phone cards for our troops, or a warm blanket for a child in need, any gift you choose will bring both comfort and hope.

And because every tax-deductible gift goes toward our overall mission, you’ll help save the day for people in need whenever a crisis happens. So shop early, and check out the catalog right now.www.redcross.org/gifts

Happy holidays!
Gail McGovern
President & CEO
American Red Cross

P.S. You’ll receive free greeting cards or e-cards with each donation to let your recipients know about the meaningful gift you gave in their name. Shop now!

About your local American Red Cross Lakeland Chapter: The American Red Cross Lakeland Chapter has served our community since 1916. We provide services in eight counties: Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Marinette, Menominee (WI), Oconto, Shawano and Menominee (MI). Measured by the number of people served by every dollar donated to the Red Cross, no other non-profit organization in America can boast a higher return on the donor’s investment. Ninety-one (91) cents of every dollar donated to the organization goes to delivering programs and services. The American Red Cross is not a government agency. As such, it relies on charitable contributions to fulfill its mission. Please support your American Red Cross Lakeland Chapter.

A generous donation to the Northeast Wisconsin Region of the American Red Cross was recently received fromState Farm Insurance. The $5,000 gift was approved after heavy rains started causing widespread flooding in mid-July. The funds purchased residential clean-up kits, which were presented to homeowners and renters throughout affected neighborhoods.

The clean-up kits were given – at no charge; as all Red Cross disaster assistance is free – to flood victims. The clean-up kits are packed with a variety of cleaning supplies, including brooms, a mop, squeegee, rubber and work gloves, Clorox bleach, various disinfectants and more. The importance of these kits is that they assist with the clean-up and help prevent mold from developing.

Throughout the region, Red Cross volunteers and staff distributed the clean-up kits at central pick-up locations and went door-to-door through affected areas after heavy rains and rising rivers began on July 14.

“State Farm is committed to helping people recover from unexpected events that can happen without warning,” said Elizabeth Tharp, Vice President of Agency for Wisconsin. “By supporting the Red Cross and providing clean-up kits to the community, we are able to help area residents affected by the recent flooding recover as quickly as possible.”

“When we present clean-up materials to someone who has water in their home, their eyes light up. They are so appreciative of the work of the American Red Cross while we can’t do this without valuable partnerships and financial contributions from companies such as State Farm Insurance. We are very grateful for their local support,” gleamed Steve Hansen, the Northeast WI Region Chapter Executive.

About American Red Cross:

The Northeast Wisconsin American Red Cross is a regional grouping of four Chapters serving 20 counties by providing relief to victims of disaster and helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.This regional grouping strives to maintain both consistency and momentum in serving this purpose across the multiple Chapters including the East Central Wisconsin, Lakeland Chapter, Outagamie and Scenic Shores Chapter. See www.newredcross.org for details.

About State Farm®:
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm’s 17,700 agents and more than 67,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – almost 79 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of ces. State Farm is ranked No. 34 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.